The San Remo NYC | Co-op Building Guide

20 distinguished Manhattan co-op buildings

The San Remo combines a broad Central Park West apartment house with two slender towers. Start by distinguishing a tower residence from a home in the base.

Address

145–146 Central Park West

Location

Central Park West

Ownership

Cooperative

Architect

Emery Roth

Completed

1930

Architecture and building history

Emery Roth designed the San Remo at Central Park West between West 74th and 75th Streets. Completed in 1930, its twin towers rise above a substantial residential base. Their classical crowns are among the most recognizable parts of the park's western skyline.

The architecture is more than the view from the reservoir or the lake. The base establishes the street frontage, while the upper setbacks change the scale and exposure of the apartments. The building received New York City landmark designation in 1987.

What to compare in the apartment

The tower apartments and the apartments below them deserve different comparisons. Look at the actual floor plate, the position of the main rooms and how the circulation separates entertaining from bedrooms. A building photograph will not tell you how those rooms feel from inside.

Park exposure is specific to the apartment. Check the windows, surrounding buildings and elevation rather than assuming the same outlook throughout the San Remo. For a residence with a terrace, review access, permitted use and the allocation of repair responsibilities.

The location

This stretch of Central Park West places the building between the West 72nd Street and West 81st Street approaches to the neighborhood. Compare that setting with the San Remo's side-street exposures and the routes you use most often.

Services, maintenance and purchase requirements

Request the current service schedule and maintenance breakdown for the apartment. Establish which services are included, which carry separate charges and whether storage or other ancillary space transfers with the shares.

A co-op purchase involves shares in the building corporation and a proprietary lease. Have your attorney review the financial statements, minutes, insurance and any assessment notices. Confirm the current requirements for financing, liquidity, intended occupancy, ownership structure, subletting and renovations with the managing agent. Published summaries can lag the governing documents.

Compare the complete cost of ownership with the apartment’s condition and the work you intend to do. A recognizable address does not establish the condition of the home or the co-op’s finances.

Where it fits on a shortlist

Tower versus base layouts, direct park exposure and any terrace rights or maintenance obligations.

Compare this building with The Dakota, The Beresford. The top-20 co-op guide explains the wider selection.

For purchase steps, read buying an apartment in NYC and the co-op versus condo guide. For market-wide inventory, use the 100 newest Manhattan co-op listings.